Cellular telephones are generally being configured to store an increasing amount of secure content. Some content is personal, such as the names, addresses, and contact information for any number of a user's contacts, as well as the passwords, for example, that the user may employ to perform secure functions. Other content is not personal, but instead, comprises enterprise data utilized by the user. To protect such data, many cellular telephone manufacturers provide different levels of security.
For example, different manufacturers currently configure their devices to use a variety of different types of screen locks. These locks utilize various technologies to keep the content stored on a user's cellular telephone secure, while allowing only the user to unlock and access the device. Such technologies include, but are not limited to, facial recognition, pattern recognition, Personal Identity Numbers (PINs), and passwords. Generally, when the user attempts to access the cellular telephone functions, the user is presented with a visual prompt to enter a valid code. Entering a valid code, of course, grants the user entry to the cellular telephone for the user, while entering an invalid code denies such entry to the user.
Generally, users find the requirement to always enter a code each time they check their cellular telephones quite cumbersome. As such, user's typically use very simple codes or passwords that are easily compromised and bypassed. For example, a malicious user may view the particular numbers a user enters into a passcode screen when the user manually enters the correct PIN. Where patterns are used, the particular pattern may be deduced by seeing where the user's fingerprint smudges are on the display.
One recent idea is to use Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) to send and receive a key from a wristlet worn by the user to unlock a cellular telephone being held in the user's hand. However, for this technology to work properly, the broadcast radius of the Bluetooth LE must be quite high so as to be able to efficiently manage crossbody interference. Crossbody interference can occur, for example, when the user holds the cellular telephone such that the user's own hand is disposed 35 between the cellular telephone and the wristlet that provides the key. Further, because Bluetooth LE utilizes an air interface as a carrier medium, malicious parties standing a relatively small distance away (e.g., three feet) are still able to eavesdrop and steal the user's PIs or passwords. Additionally, conventional technologies do not consider whether the wristlet is actually being worn by the user at the time it is used to gain access to the cellular telephone. Particularly, the wristlet may simply be held close to the cellular telephone, and need not be currently in contact with the user.